Adoption Services

PH-0300

Programs that participate in arranging permanent homes under new legal parentage for individuals whose birth parents are unable or unwilling to provide for their care. Included are programs that provide counseling and assistance for people who decide to relinquish their children for adoption or arrange for an independent adoption; which recruit, select, counsel and match suitable adoptive parents with children who have been relinquished; which assist in the adoption of stepchildren, adults or foreign-born children; which provide foster care for children who have been relinquished for adoption but not yet placed; and/or which assist people who are adopted to locate their birth parents and birth parents to locate the children they relinquished.

Adult/Child Mentoring Programs

PH-1400.5000-100

Programs like Big Brothers or Big Sisters which provide male or female adult companionship, guidance and/or role models for young men or women who are from families in which adult figures of the same sex are absent or available on a limited and inadequate basis or who are troubled and at risk for delinquency. Also included are programs in which people in their teens provide companionship for younger children.

Child Care Provider Referrals

PH-2400.1500

Programs that provide statewide and community-based services that are designed to improve the availability and quality of child care. These programs maintain lists of child care resources and link families who are in need of child care services with child care centers, licensed family child care homes and other organization-based providers; provide information that helps families become good consumers of child care services; recruit new child care providers to expand the availability of the service locally; provide training and technical assistance for providers; and collect and disseminate data which document the demand for child care services and the current availability of child care resources. Some programs may also make referrals to preschools and many provide referrals to children's play groups.

Child Care Providers

PH-1250

Programs that provide substitute parental care in a group setting for children during some portion of a 24-hour day. Services may include recreational and developmental activities and snacks and/or meals as appropriate.

Child Guidance

RP-1400.8000-155

Programs that specialize in the treatment of children from infancy to age 12 who have adjustment problems, behavior problems, emotional disturbances, a personality disorder or incipient mental illness.

Child Sexual Abuse Counseling

RP-1400.8000-020.18

Programs that specialize in the treatment of children and youth who are coping with the trauma of child sexual abuse which occurs when an adult, older adolescent or another child threatens, forces or manipulates a child into sexual activity abusing the relationship of power and authority that adults have over children. Sexual abuse includes sexual kissing, touching, fondling a child’s genitals, oral, anal or vaginal intercourse and incest (sexual intercourse between an adult family member and a child or between siblings) as well as behaviors that don’t involve contact such as genital exposure ("flashing"), intentionally engaging in sexual activity in front of a child, verbal pressure for sex, and sexual exploitation for purposes of prostitution or pornography. Child sexual abuse can take place within the family by a parent, step-parent, sibling or other relative; or outside the home by a friend, neighbor, child care provider, teacher or stranger. Separate counseling sessions may be structured for young children who have been victimized and for older children in their teens.

Child Support Assistance/Enforcement

FT-3000.1600

Programs that provide assistance which helps to ensure that parents fulfill their mutual obligation to financially support and provide health care for their children. Included are services for people who want to locate an absent parent; establish paternity; establish a child support order; request that the non-custodial parent provide health insurance for a child in conjunction with a child support order; change the amount of a child support award; dispute a child support award; or enforce payment of child support monies in cases where the supporting parent is delinquent in paying or refuses to pay or make health insurance arrangements altogether. Child support is money paid by one parent to another for the maintenance, including the education, of their children following the dissolution of their marriage or other relationship. Non-custodial parents enrolled in an insurance plan at work may be required to include the child under this coverage while those not covered by any insurance plan may be required to obtain medical coverage, if available at a reasonable cost. Child support assistance/enforcement may be provided by private attorneys, legal clinics, family law facilitators' offices or child support enforcement programs which are available in all states, often as a component of the district attorney's office.

Children's Protective Services

PH-6500.1500

Programs that investigate reports of child abuse, neglect or abandonment; document substantiated cases; provide for the temporary placement of children who, for their own protection, have been removed from the custody of the adults who are responsible for their care; work with families who are experiencing a problem with child abuse with the objective of facilitating continued family unification or reunification; and provide ongoing supportive services for children in permanent placement.

Early Childhood Education

HD-1800

Programs that provide educational activities and experiences for children from birth to age five which are intended to foster social, physical, emotional and intellectual growth and prepare them for further formal learning.

Early Intervention for Children With Disabilities/Delays

LR-1700

Programs that identify infants, toddlers and in some cases, preschoolers who show evidence of or are at risk for lags in physical development, cognitive development, language and speech development, psychosocial development or self-help skills, and provide or coordinate the delivery of an enrichment program in order to minimize the potential for a developmental delay and to meet their current developmental needs. The program may include early identification activities (child find); a developmental evaluation; a review of family concerns, priorities and resources; meetings with the family to develop an individualized family service plan; service coordination to ensure that the individual and his or her family receive needed services which may include but are not limited to physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, health/medical services, nursing services, nutrition services, psychological services including specialized play groups or therapy sessions, counseling, speech and language assistance, special instructional services, transportation, and parenting skills development; and ongoing evaluation of the child's progress and his or her changing enrichment needs. Included are "birth to three" programs and federal, state or local programs that address the needs of slightly older children or children not otherwise eligible for "birth to three" programs.

Family Based Services

PH-2360

Programs that provide a wide variety of social services that are designed to support healthy family development, improve the family's ability to resolve problems (such as poverty, unemployment, ill health, homelessness, substandard housing, educational difficulties, substance abuse, adolescent pregnancy, delinquency and physical and developmental problems) and prevent the need for unnecessary placement of children in foster care, group homes, inpatient substance abuse or mental health treatment programs, residential training schools or other alternative environments when family problems reach crisis proportions. Services may include home visiting services that focus on public health issues (especially prenatal), mental health and substance abuse counseling, home management instruction, success in a child care setting, parenting skills development, stress management, tutoring, pregnancy awareness and AIDS awareness; may be available to the community at large, to families at risk for dissolution or those currently in crisis; and may be offered by a single agency or a coalition of agencies that have agreed to provide services according to a coordinated case plan.

Family Counseling

RF-2000

Programs that offer therapeutic sessions that focus on the system of relationships and communication patterns among family members and which attempt to modify those relationships and patterns to achieve greater harmony. The therapist focuses on the family as a unit rather than concentrating on one of the members who is singled out as the person in need of treatment.

Family Planning

LJ-2000

Programs that provide assistance for people who want to control the size of their families and the spacing of their children, usually through some form of birth control; who want to explore options for conceiving; who have a problem with infertility; or who have questions about the advisability of becoming pregnant or following through with a current pregnancy.

Foster Home Placement

PH-2400.1900

Programs that link individuals who are in need of alternative living arrangements with appropriate private family homes that are licensed to provide foster care. Licensing requirements vary from state to state and, in some situations, licensing is not required at all. Programs that provide placement services for children and adults with disabilities are generally also responsible for recruiting, training, certifying and monitoring placements in family homes and for providing support for the family and the individual(s) with disabilities who live with them.

Head Start

HD-1800.3000

A federally-funded child development program that provides educational experiences, medical and dental services, nutritional meals, counseling and opportunities for parental involvement to help prepare low-income children and children with disabilities age three to five to enter and succeed in school.

Juvenile Diversion

FF-0500.1800-350

Community-based programs that provide comprehensive social services for individuals younger than age 18 who have committed a minor offense and are directed to participate in a diversion program as an alternative to arrest, prosecution or, in some cases, sentencing for the offense. Most juvenile diversion programs do an assessment of the individual's needs and provide and/or coordinate the delivery of the necessary services which may include individual, group or family counseling, substance abuse counseling, supervised recreational activities, vocational guidance, tutorial services and supplemental referrals for other needs.

Parent Support Groups

PN-8100.6500-650

Mutual support groups for parents who share a common characteristic or circumstance such as being single parents, dual career parents, multiple birth parents, parents with children who are out of control, or parents of children with disabilities, who come together for educational and social purposes as well as for mutual support. Meeting formats may include in-person, telephone or Internet options.

Pregnancy/Childbirth Support Groups

PN-8100.6500-680

Mutual support groups whose members are pregnant women or women who have had difficulties in areas relating to family planning, pregnancy and childbirth. Included are groups for individuals who are pregnant for the first time, women who are contemplating a home birth, breastfeeding women, families making decisions relating to birth control, women who have had a cesarean birth, women who are at high risk for a problem pregnancy and parents of premature or high-risk infants. The groups meet in-person, by telephone or via the Internet; and provide an opportunity for participants to share their experience, strengths and hopes, understand their relationships and work through related emotions.

Scouting Programs

PS-9800.8500

Programs that provide opportunities for children and youth to develop individual and group initiative and responsibility, self-reliance, courage, personal fitness, discipline and other desirable qualities of character through participation in a wide range of organized recreational, educational and civic activities under the leadership of qualified adult volunteers. Troop members work on developing their skills in camping, swimming, citizenship, communication, conservation, cooking, community living, first aid and a wide variety of other areas, and usually earn merit badges when they have demonstrated mastery of the skills that are required for a particular activity.

Therapeutic Group Homes

PH-6300.8600

Programs that provide an alternative living environment and mental health treatment services in licensed, non-secure facilities for children and adolescents with significant emotional or behavioral problems who have some capability to engage in community-based activities. Although the types and combinations of treatment vary, treatment services typically include individual, group and family counseling, behavior modification, vocational training, recreational therapy and skill building. Therapeutic group homes are generally licensed by the state; offer a less restrictive treatment environment than residential treatment, but are more restrictive than therapeutic foster care; and are located in the community where residents attend local schools.

Youth Enrichment Programs

PS-9800.9900

Programs that offer a wide variety of activities including arts and crafts, academic programs, sports, reading clubs, workshops and other recreational, leisure, cultural, social and civic activities for school-age children and youth in out-of-school hours. The objective of youth enrichment programs is to promote healthy social interaction and help participants maximize their social, emotional, physical and academic potential.